Even if you haven't finished doing all your Hugo reading (I haven't myself), you should still vote now, lest you forget. Don't worry, you can change your vote as many times as you like between now and the voting deadline, if further reading gives you a new favorite.

I do urge all worldcon members to vote, and to vote "No Award" only if they feel that none of the works in the category are worthy of a Hugo. (Sadly, there are several categories where that is true, IMNSHO). Many of the slated nominees this year are hostages, and to punish those works and their authors by placing them below No Award seems very wrong to me.

I might also mention that there is a new award for SF and fantasy this year: the Dragon Awards, sponsored by Dragoncon, the big Atlanta media convention. Lots and lots of categories. As I understand it, anyone can nominate, anyone can vote. Just go here:

The nominations for the Dragons close on July 25, so their deadline is even closer than the Hugo deadline. 'twould be nice if the culture war that has troubled the Hugos the past few years would leave this new award alone... but, alas, I fear that will not be the case. There's already plenty of campaigning in evidence on the internet. Since the Dragons are brand new, that may or may not matter. Dragoncon itself is a huge beast, and if the turnout for their awards is large enough, any effort at slating or logrolling could be swamped. Depends on how many fans vote, I guess.

I've said since the very start of the Puppy Wars that it would be nice if the field had a true People's Choice Award to stand as a complement to the older and more established Hugos. So I applaud Dragoncon's effort, and will be interested in how this all turns out. Whether this dragon will fly high, or flap around for a few years and vanish like the Gandalfs and the Balrogs... I guess that all depends.

(I hope the Dragoncon people come up with a cool trophy. I am fond of dragons, as is well known. And two legs, please, not four).